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Removal of fish passage barrier on Crystal Springs Creek began Aug. 3

Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), the City of Portland and the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project (PMLR) are working together to replace a Crystal Springs Creek culvert under the UPRR tracks just east of SE McLoughlin Boulevard. The new culvert will also be under the light rail extension.

The work is part of a Portland Bureau of Environmental Services project to replace eight culverts on Crystal Springs Creek that block fish access to salmon habitat. The culvert under the UPRR alignment was not accessible until light rail project construction provided the opportunity to replace it.

This culvert and the eight others on the 2.7-mile, spring-fed creek restrict fish passage, cause flooding and can lead to a rise in creek water temperatures that harm juvenile salmon. The new fish-friendly culverts will allow salmon to access habitat the length of the creek and will reduce potential flooding. The replacement of all nine culverts is scheduled to be complete in 2014.